Using a mobile/web app to help elementary kids with ADHD get proven school-based support
Official title: RP-Villodas: Reducing Disparities in Access to Evidence-based Services for ADHD Through Technology
Funded at San Diego State University · NIH-11313852 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will create a smartphone and web tool to help teachers, parents, and school counselors deliver a proven behavior program for 2nd–5th graders with ADHD.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | San Diego State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Diego, United States) |
| Project start | September 11, 2018 |
| Project end | March 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $367,068 |
| NIH project number | 5U54MD012397-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11313852 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are elementary school children in grades 2–5 (roughly ages 7–11) diagnosed with ADHD, especially those attending schools serving low-SES or ethnic/racial minority families.
✕Less likely to help
Teenagers, adults, children outside the 2nd–5th grade range, or those without access to participating schools are unlikely to benefit from this project.
What this research studies
Your child could receive the Collaborative Life Skills program at school, which trains teachers, parents, and school mental health staff to support kids with ADHD. Researchers are adapting CLS into a mobile/web app (CLS-M) to make daily behavior reporting, parent coaching, and small-group skills work easier to use in busy, under-resourced schools. School providers will be trained to use the app and the team will test how usable and acceptable the technology is for families and staff. The goal is to lower barriers like time, transportation, and stigma so more children from low-income and minority backgrounds can get help.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make it easier for children—especially in low-income or minority communities—to access effective school-based ADHD behavioral support and improve classroom behavior and organization.
How similar studies have gone: The Collaborative Life Skills program is an evidence-based, effective school intervention for children with ADHD, but adapting it into a mobile/web-supported format is a newer approach with limited large-scale evidence to date.
Where this research is happening
-
San Diego State University
San Diego, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Villodas, Miguel T — San Diego State University
- Study coordinator: Villodas, Miguel T
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.